So, Nick and Cece. Very, very little on-screen interaction in the actual series, so really not much to go on there. I've always felt they'd be a great comic tandem, but this really isn't the time and place for that. Confession: still not 100% where this is going, but it's coming together more and more as I go along. And I really can't say it enough: thanks for commenting, following, and honestly just for reading.

"Cece, I'm at work," Nick said, flatly. "I know you all laugh at this job, but still… I just can't leave."

Cece looked around the bar and saw that, while it wasn't particularly busy, there were enough customers present that Nick really couldn't just pick up and leave.

"Fine. Maybe you can't leave… but they can," she said, gesturing to Winston and Schmidt.

Nick realized there was little point in fighting the inevitable. He wasn't ready to talk to anybody about things, let alone Cece. But he knew Cece had talked to Jess, and that alone was persuasive.

"Go on, guys," Nick said. "Like you said, this isn't exactly the hot spot it was last night anyway. Go find yourselves a club, go play with the cat… whatever."

Winston and Schmidt looked at each other, then back at Nick. It was clear Cece wasn't going to be denied. It was also clear that Schmidt was starting to sweat, and getting out of Cece's airspace would probably benefit him as well.

"You sure?" Winston asked. "We can just go grab a booth…"

"Get outta here," Nick answered. "We'll be fine."

Schmidt and Winston gathered their jackets, and slipped them on. Schmidt never took his eyes off Cece, and she never laid her eyes on him.

"OK, Nick. We'll be at the loft if you need us," Winston said. "See you around, Cece."

"Goodbye, Winston," Cece replied, staring at Nick.

Nick watched his roommates leave the bar. As he watched, he tried to brace himself for what he assumed was going to be one hell of a tongue lashing. Closing his eyes, he turned his body to face Cece.

"Alright, listen up, I'm only…" she started.

"How is she?" Nick interrupted. "How is Jess. Is she okay? How does she look? That's a stupid, she always looks great. What is she…?" Nick trailed off, surprised by his own outburst.

"Why don't you call her and find out, you idiot? What is wrong with you?"

"Who the hell was that guy? Who was he?"

"It doesn't matter, Nick. But for the record, I don't know, and honestly, I don't think Jess knows, either. That's how little she thought of him. Don't ask me how, because that man was a specimen..."

"Thanks for that."

"…but she didn't even notice. Are you hearing me, you jackass? She just thought he was kind of a nice guy."

Nick stared at Cece and slowly registered what she was saying. Nick squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and shook his head.

"You say that, but I saw…"

"What did you see?" Cece interrupted. "What did you actually see? Because I think you saw a guy kissing your girlfriend, and…" Cece's face fell slightly as she continued. "…and you freaked. You saw that fine, fine man with his hands in her hair and his lips on her face, and you freaked… and… and…"

"And what, Cece? I saw a man kissing Jess, and I can't even begin to tell you all the bad that started coming out of me."

"And that part's okay. That part I can understand. You have no idea how much I can understand."

Nick's eyes softened as he remembered who he was talking to. He sighed and frowned slightly, realizing he was complaining to the absolute wrong person.

"Cece, I…"

"No. This is not about that," Cece said, shaking her head. "You were allowed to feel hurt and confused when you saw what you saw. But then you went home. With Jess. You went home with Jess. You went home with Jess, and she told you what happened. She told you what happened, and you didn't believe her. That is what's killing her right now. That's why she hasn't slept or eaten in 2 days, and that's why I'm going to have to kick your ass if you don't wake the hell up!"

Nick swallowed hard and looked away. A few of the bar patrons had taken notice of their conversation, and had started staring and whispering. Nick gave a cursory wave around the bar to let everyone know there wasn't a problem before returning his attention to Cece.

"She's… really that upset?" Nick asked.

"This is really something the two of you should discuss, but… yes. She's really confused, Nick. She doesn't think she did anything wrong. Probably because she didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, but that's easy for her to say. How do you think she would've taken it if it were me planting one on some other gorgeous woman? How do you think…"

"Yeah, you're going to want to go ahead and make sure that never happens. If you know what's good for you."

"Right, like I could ever…"

Cece tilted her head and raised her eyebrows as Nick tailed off. After a moment, she gestured with her hands, trying to coax him to continue.

"Like you could ever…what?"

"Forget it," Nick said, shaking here off.

"Well crap," Cece said as she rolled her eyes. "Maybe the two of you are meant for each other."

"What does that…"

"Just… talk to Jess. Talk to your girlfriend. I know how you think, and I know how you can't help but ruin the good things that come into your life. But it doesn't have to be that way. Not with Jess. She really…. it just … doesn't have to be that way. It's your choice, Nick. You can let this be more than it needs, or…?"

"…or?" Nick said, hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to hear what Cece had to say.

"Or you can start to grow up."

Cece let her words hang for a moment, hoping they would sink in. Nick rubbed the back of his neck as he looked past Cece. After another beat, she waved her hand in front of Nick's face to get his attention.

"Hey. Let's face it, Nick. You're never going to find another Jess."

Nick again wiped his face with the towel before looking Cece in the eye.

"I know. I know."

Cece let he posture settle a bit as she took a half step back from the bar. She wasn't relishing this as much as she'd expected. She had Jess' back, pretty much unconditionally, but she could also see where Nick would be struggling. Communication was clearly a grind for both of them, but with so much at stake, all she could do was hope one of them would step up.

"Good. Glad we have an understanding," she said as she pushed up the sleeves of her sweater. "Okay, I told her I was going to go find her some food. She hasn't really eaten much, and I somehow doubt the celery, pine nuts, and vodka we have at the apartment is going to suffice tonight."

"Slappy's is probably still open," Nick said, glancing at the clock. "You should get the spinach artichoke thin crust. Add diced tomatoes and feta. It's her favorite."

Cece smiled sadly before turning to leave.

"You guys really need to… Just call her. Okay? Call her, tell her to come home. Work it out."

Nick sighed and watched as Cece left the bar.

"Wish it was that easy," he muttered.

When Cece got home, she found Jess sprawled out on the couch, flipping through one of her roommate's style magazines.

"Hey Jess, I got some pizza."

"Cool, cool. I'm just looking through one of your magazines. What do you think about this jacket?"

Cece set the pizza down on the coffee table and took a look at the magazine Jess was showing her. Cece nodded and smiled.

"Oh, that's cute. I think you could pull that off."

"Me too! Small caveat: it apparently costs $1,400. Doesn't seem like the wisest way to spend money."

Cece laughed as she grabbed a couple of plates from the kitchen.

"No, I suppose not."

"The wool hat she's wearing is only $400, though. So maybe I can start saving up."

Jess sat up to make room for Cece on the couch. Cece handed Jess a plate and a bottle of water she had tucked under her arm. She opened the pizza box and sat down.

"So… did you get any sleep at all?"

"A little bit," Jess said. "I can see why Nadia makes good use of this couch. It's surprisingly comfortable."

"Guess I've never looked at it quite like that before."

Cece pulled out a slice of pizza, letting the cheese stretch to its breaking point before dropping it on Jess' plate. She then repeated the process for herself. Jess sat quietly for a moment, not showing much interest in the pizza. Cece took a few quick bites before noticing.

"What's wrong, Jess? You know, I normally wouldn't eat this sort of stuff, but this is actually enough to make me reconsider."

Jess just sat a moment, staring at her pizza.

"Slappy's, huh? Spinach and artichoke? Add tomato and feta?"

Cece chewed and shrugged.

"Sounded good."

"I'll bet. So, how was Nick?"

Cece shut her eyes and dropped her plate to her lap. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and moved the plate to the coffee table.

"I'm sorry, Jess, but you know me. I had to say something. I had to talk to him. Couldn't just sit by and watch the two of you…"

"No, Cece. How was he? How did he seem?

"Oh… I…uh… honestly he seemed pretty down."

Jess shifted in her seat. She set her plate on the armrest of the couch before adjusting her glasses.

"He… he did?"

"Yeah, Jess. Of course he did. What did you expect?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't know what to expect from him, period. Not after last night."

"He's obviously bothered by it. I'd say more confused than anything, really."

"Well, that makes two of us. God, this is so stupid," Jess said, getting to her feet. She took a few steps behind the couch and started pacing aimlessly.

"Jess, I think you should really eat something."

"Why is this so hard, Cece? Is it him? Is it me? Is it us?"

"I don't know. I think it's a little bit… both? Neither of you are really open with your feelings these days. It's no surprise. His guard is up, your guard is up."

Jess continued pacing, biting at her thumbnail. Cece got up and walked over to her, and put her hands on her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks.

"Jess. I think he just needed a little time. Maybe he needs a little more, who knows. But he'll come around."

"Do you really think that?"

"I do. I really do. In fact, I'll bet you hear from him soon. Tonight, even."

Jess took a deep breath. She pressed her lips together and gave a little nod.

"You're probably right," Jess said.

"I almost always am," Cece smiled. "Now come on, the pizza's getting cold."

"It's better cold," Jess shrugged, as they sat back down on the couch.

A few hours later, Jess lay awake on Cece's bed, Cece asleep beside her. She lay on her side, facing away from Cece, checking her phone every few minutes to make sure of the time. She had hoped to have already heard from Nick, but it wasn't late enough that she'd given up hope. She toyed with the idea of just calling him. She was hesitant, not because she was worried about coming off as desperate, but because she truly wanted to give him his space. And she felt, on some level, that it was her fault. She hadn't wanted to kiss the guy from the bar, but she had allowed him to sit with her, and she had entertained what she had assumed was his harmless flirtation. And it had resulted in her laying awake in Cece's bed instead of sleeping soundly beside Nick in her own. She was thinking of just that when the text from Nick asking if she could talk came across the display of her phone.

Jess got out of bed as gently and quietly as possible, careful not to wake Cece. She tiptoed to the bedroom door, cracked it, and peaked through to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing nobody in the living room, she stepped through the door, closed it softly behind her, and dialed Nick.

"Jess?"

"Hey, Nick. It's… it's me."

"Hey. Um… how… how's it going?"

"It's going… I guess."

"Look, Jess. I know it's late, so I won't keep you. I just… I just didn't want to not talk to you tonight. I know things are weird right now. But I just didn't want to not… talk."

"I know what you mean. I'm glad you texted."

"Did you and Cece have fun today?"

"Well, I wouldn't call anything about today 'fun'. But it was good to spend some time with her. How 'bout you? How was work?"

"Pretty slow night, all in all. Cece paid me a visit."

"Yeah. I heard about that. I want you to know that I didn't put her up to that."

"No, I didn't think..."

"Nick?"

"Jess, I'm sorry. This is just… I really just wanted to call and say goodnight. I don't know if I would've been able to sleep if I hadn't talked to you."

With that, Jess could feel much of the tension in her neck and shoulders lessen. She breathed in deeply, and paused a moment before answering.

"I think I know what you mean," she finally said.

"Good. Do you… know when you plan on coming home?"

"Just tomorrow sometime. Late morning, early afternoon. Why?"

"Just wondering when we could get together to, you know, talk. I actually have some errands to run in the afternoon, but I really, really want to talk."

"I know what you mean."

"OK, good. Well… I know it's late. Kind of silly to talk on the phone like this, but I just… I just wanted to hear your voice, you know? I've kind of gotten used to hearing it."

"Well… I'm glad. I'm glad I got to hear your voice, too, Nick. And I look forward to… talking tomorrow."

They didn't speak for quite a few moments, each trying to think of something to say to prolong their talk, but each feeling too self-conscious to commit to furthering a conversation that would be better left to be had in person. Jess finally broke the silence.

"Wow, it is getting really late."

"I know, Jess. I'm sorry, I just… here, let's both get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"So… goodnight, Jess. Sleep well."

"You too, Nick. Goodnight."

Jess held the phone to her ear for a few moments, staying on the line before half-heartedly sliding her thumb over the surface of the phone, ending the call.